Harper Lee is a fascinating recluse – very private and yet so much a part of popular culture. To Kill a Mockingbird is read by almost every school in the United States, and yet this is the only book she has ever written. Madden wrote the book without Lee’s participation, which isn’t surprising, since she is so private. But I sort of hoped that this book would be different. Instead, it is well researched, with plenty of citations, source notes and quotations, but it is still all second-hand, and that is a little bit disappointing. She does get many people in Nelle’s life to talk to her, and I did learn some things from this book. However, I’m not sure why the series is called Up Close – is it to just distinguish it from other biographies? Is it Up Close because it looks at the person’s life more closely? I’m not sure. Regardless, this is an easy to read biography with plenty of information for a successful biographical report. It is contemporary, so there is information about Lee in this decade, which is always nice, too. It makes me want to watch the Truman Capote biographical movies to see her part in them. ( )

Have you read To Kill a Mockingbird and wondered about the life of Nelle Harper Lee? This biography of the elusive author is wonderfully written and appealing in its story-like telling.Who?Nelle Harper Lee, the author of To Kill a Mockingbird.What?Stories from her childhood, about the writing and selling of To Kill a Mockingbird, and about her friends and family throughout life.Where?Mobile, Alabama. New York, New York. Hollywood, California.When?April 28, 1926 through present.Why?Usually I would use this section to explain what the characters want in a story, but instead, I'm going to quote part of how the author wrote this biography."Harper Lee wrote in To Kill a Mockingbird: 'Real courage is when you know you're licked, before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what.' The more I began to work on her biography, the more those words began to haunt me. I realized I might very well be licked, with my subject not willing to talk and so little published about her--except for one unauthorized biography. So to find real courage to write this book, I knew I needed to go to the heart of Harper Lee country. I wanted an understanding not just of the author but also of her home and the people who know her. It was the only way I knew how to write the story." (15)Favorite Parts:I am not generally a reader of nonfiction, but this was the best biography I have read (though my experience is limited.) This was a very simple, straightforward book, telling the stories of Nelle Harper Lee from childhood through the present. I even found the introductions engaging. There is some great historical perspective on the events of the time and how they may have found their way into and/or inspired Lee's writing of Mockingbird. I especially enjoyed the tales of how the movie came together and how seriously it was taken.A few of my favorite quotes from the book:"Truman was Nelle's best friend, no matter how many scraps and scrapes they got into as children. They were even engaged to be married for a short time, but then Truman eloped with another girl. 'He must have been about eight,' Nelle said. 'We were having a fuss. He ran away with another little girl. They hitchhiked to Evergreen but they were back by supper.'""Her Utopia is a land with the culture of England and the government of Russia; her idea of heaven is a place where diligent law students and writers ascend after death and can stay up forever without Benzedrine."Least Favorite Parts:There wasn't anything major that I disliked about the book, though I did notice the narration felt incongruent and jumpy in a few places.Recommend?YesTo whom?Anyone who likes biographies, anyone who doesn't like biographies but would if they were written more like stories. Anyone interested in Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird, or great women from the South. High school students who have to read To Kill a Mockingbird should also pick this book up, as the stories here might enhance their reading of Mockingbird.READ MORE REVIEWS AT http://sschpagepals.blogspot.com ( )

One of the best biographies I've ever read. A surprisingly intimate portrait of an author who hasn't given an interview since 1964. Madden faced quite a challenge and wrote a biography that is full of interesting facts, quotes and stories.

"To Kill a Mockingbird" is one of my favorite books, so I was happy to discover new information about the book, its creation, the film which followed it and, of course, the author. What fascinated me the most was how Madden always insisted that Lee is not a recluse but, in fact, a private person.

An excellent notes and bibliographic information section can be found in the back of this quick read. ( )